Atbara

East Africa - Egypt - Kenya - Sudan - Ethiopia - Tanzania (6) Kevin Slean

• Report rights infringement
• published: 16 Sep 2012
• views: 1424

My Days of Traveling - (6) Kevin Slean The picture with the two women in white are Sudanese but the interesting thing about this picture is the old generation and the new generation side by side. The markings on the face are scars cut probably by a grand-mother for beauty reasons, a old tradition and I doubt that they do it now as you can see the young women on the right face is clear. The younger women if you also notice she is also wearing a mini-dress. The young warriors are Rendille and Masai tribes men located in the northern part of Kenya. I was lucky to to get a picture of the Rendille tribes men because they mostly keep to themselves. I saw them in the distance with their camels crossing the desert and I went out to greet them and they were reluctant to stop for me but in the end they agreed to have there picture taken and then they continued on there journey. Notice there spears, one is covered and the other is ready to use so that was a signal to me that I must show some respect to them because this one guy(Main guy) would kill you if you crossed him. The Masai tribes-men that I came across in the small a town in northern Kenya(Marsabit) were friendly and both the Rendille and the Masia look similar but the Rendille stay with there native custom traditional way of life and probably are more dangerous. The picture with the Sudanese family was taken in Omdurman, they insisted on this picture. I was invited back to this Sudanese guys home who rescued me from a bunch of kids that surrounded me in the main square in Omdurman. They were more or less curious in what I was all about. So to make it up to me the guy invited me back to his home for lunch with his family. Drinking tea (Pongo was offered as if it was the norm) after lunch is one way of relaxing after a good meal. Next day I was brought by this same guy to a circumcision party located deep into Omdurman (old part of Khartoum) which I thought later was a little to risky. I was guest of honor and you soon learn "When in Rome do what the Romans do" and you will survive. Eating sheep's brains with your hand(right) and since I was the guest of honor I was the first to eat and we were all to eat from the same food tray all sitting on the ground cross legged around a very large brass tray full of food. In the center of the tray was a sheep's head and I was told to start eating and I did'nt know where to start or what to eat with so my Sudanese-friend demonstrated what to do first and that was by digging right into the sheep's head with his right hand and he took a handful of sheep-brains out and eat it . After I took my first handful of sheep-brains out then all the guests started eating the sheep-brains. Sheep brains is looked upon as a delicacy with some people around the world and good for them but for me it was no big deal. I think there is more of a meaning to it then anything else. There had to be some order of behavior amongst the guests so I was to be offered to eat more of the sheep-brains to go along with my coke cola that I was hoping would not happen but I took it as a experience and I thank my Sudanese friend to have invited me along. I have eaten in other parts of the world with my hands and the custom is that you eat only with your right hand because the simple reason is the left hand is used for something else. The natives riding the camels was in the eastern Sudan crossing the desert near Kassala on my journey from Asmara in Ethiopia to Khartoum in the Sudan. The picture of the Wailing Wall (Jerusalem)I took from a arab house with a great view who gave me permission to enter there house that they thought would not be their home much longer and I would say those arabs no longer live there, they were moved out and their home probably demolished so not to have arabs living so close to the Wailing Wall. I imagine that would come under the cleansing code but to the Israelis that would be called relocating which is done in many countries over the years. The native smoking (this was one time "when in Rome do what the Romans do" went out the window) was in Rhodesia(in the wilderness)all dying of a disease called tsetse-fly. On a dirt trail from Victoria Falls to Kariba near Lake Kariba. That was a restricted area because of that reason of the tsetse-fly and I could only go thru the motion of smoking that water pipe. Those people were domed and that was the only pleasure they could get was smoking those water pipes. One of my favorite pictures and that is of the Pyramids & the Sphinx, spectacular sight. Some simple principals while traveling or vacationing abroad. You are not born a idiot so don't act like one. Don't act like a loser or else you will end up like one that will change your life for ever. Do not trust any one other then the people you travel with and even that is a risk because some people are just really naive. http://www.youtube.com/user/Dubliner5